The Little Merman
by Reizbar-Ookami
Summary: ONESHOT: AU After seeing Prince Cloud and saving his life, Leon falls for the human. With the help of his friends and sister, can he find a way to steal the blond's heart, or will he be doomed to sing to the sea every night for the rest of his life?


The Little Merman

"Come on, Leon. Are you sure you don't want to go to the concert? Sebastian worked really hard on it," Yuffie stated, smiling pleadingly.

Leon sighed and shook his head, not looking up from the paper he was doodling on. "Sorry, Yuffie. I just don't feel like going to another concert. Tell Sebastian I'm sorry?" he asked, finally turning his gaze on her.

Yuffie sighed, shaking her head, then turned and began to swim away. "Alright, suit yourself. Bye, Leon!"

"Have fun," he called after her, then shook his head, smiling. "Silly Yuffie."

After a few minutes, a young otter came swimming up; this was odd, seeing as he was so far from shore. "Leon! Oh, Leon!"

Leon looked at the little brown being in surprise, then smiled. "Hey, Fizz. What's up?"

"There's this big boat up top, and I think they're having a party!" Fizz answered, then did a small flip. "You wanna go see it? It's _pretty_ exciting up there!"

Leon glanced around his room and frowned, then shrugged. "Okay. Did you follow the boat all the way here?" he asked, opening the window and swimming out quickly, so no one would see him leaving.

"Nah. I decided I'd just come visit you. It's been a while, right?" Fizz pulled a few loopty-loops. "Besides, no one is going to notice I'm gone, anyway."

Leon shrugged again, watching the water become lighter and lighter as they got closer to the surface. "I guess. Yuffie's gonna be mad that I left without her."

Fizz smiled. "Yeah, but she gets over those kind of things so quickly, Leon, it's not even funny."

As they broke the surface of the water, they both shook their heads, trying to keep their hair/fur from dripping. As fireworks burst in the sky, their attention was drawn to a large ship, where jovial music and laughter was sounding.

"I think that they're celebrating something. Usually they just fish," Fizz whispered, then shrugged. "It's actually kind of dangerous to go near them if they're fishing."

"Well, they're not fishing now," Leon answered quietly, then began swimming toward the ship. "Come on, Fizz."

"But it could still be dangerous-!" the otter began, then realized that the merman would not be deterred. "Wait for me, Leon! Wait!"

"Swim faster," Leon hissed, then found a gap in the side of the ship and jumped up to it, trying to see what was going on.

It _did_ seem to be a party. Everyone was clapping and laughing and a few men were making music with various instruments… They were dancing, and seemed to be merry… So what were they celebrating?

Oh, crap! A strange, furry thing on four legs was coming toward him! Leon ducked to the side quickly, terrified, and held Fizz to his chest so he wouldn't plunge back into the water and draw attention. Fizz clung to him desperately, beginning to hyperventilate as the dog barked at them.

A whistle cut through the air. "Nanaki, here boy!" A small chuckle. "Hey, come on, mutt. Whatcha doing, huh, Nanaki?" The dog barked at them once more before leaving them to themselves again. "Good boy, Nanaki."

Leon and Fizz moved back to watch on timidly, afraid to be found again. Leon searched for the man that had unwittingly saved them. When his eyes landed on the blue-eyed, blond-haired man that was petting the… Nanaki, apparently, his breath caught in his throat. The man was gorgeous. And his laugh was just… wow.

"Hey, Leon," Scuttle, a seagull, exclaimed, landing on the merman's other side. "Quite a show, eh?"

Leon waved at him frantically. "Scuttle, shhh! They'll hear us!"

Scuttle nodded and smiled. "Oh, I gotcha, I gotcha. We're being intrepidatious. WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER!" he exclaimed, flapping his wings.

Leon grabbed his beak quickly, wincing. "_Scuttle!_ Shut up!" He turned his attention back to the blond human aboard the ship as he began to blow on an instrument, making beautiful— if not strange— music sound. "I've never seen a human this close before. That one's kind of good-looking, isn't he?"

Scuttle frowned and scratched his head. "I don't know, Leon. He looks kind of hairy and slobbery to me."

Fizz rolled his eyes. "Not _that_ one, Scuttle! The one playing the snorfblat!"

"Is that what that instrument is called?" Leon asked, tilting his head innocently, before his attention was yanked away as a man with black, somewhat spiked hair (though not as nearly spiky as the blond's) made himself heard.

"Yo, yo, yo! I think it's time we gave our little Prince Cloud his birthday present, don't you think?" He elbowed a silver-haired man next to him playfully. "Huh?"

The silver-haired man groaned and rolled his eyes. "Zack…"

"Fine, ya old spoilsport, just suck the fun out of everything," the black-haired man— Zack— stated, sighing. He looked back at the blond— Cloud— and smiled. "Sorry about Sephiroth, Cloudy. He's not one of those 'sea people.'"

Cloud laughed. "Yeah, I know."

"Well, here's your present! Enjoy!" Zack exclaimed, handing the blond a large— almost frighteningly so— sword.

Cloud smiled and swung it a little, but not so much that he might hurt anyone. "Wow, Zack! It's awesome!"

"It's called First Tsurugi," Sephiroth stated, shrugging. "Now can we head back? I'm starting to get ill."

Zack laughed and waved it away. "Oh, you've _been_ sick, Seph! A little while longer won't hurt!"

The silver-haired man ignored him. "We _were_ sort of hoping that that would be a _wedding_ present, Cloud."

"Oh, please," Cloud rolled his eyes. "Let's not go through this right now, Sephiroth. It's my _birthday._"

Zack frowned and punched Sephiroth in the shoulder lightly. "Yeah, Seph. It's his birthday. We'll talk to him about it tomorrow!"

Cloud groaned and covered his eyes. "That's not exactly what I meant…" He sighed, then stood up straight and looked back at them. "Listen, guys, when I find the right person, it'll hit me, okay? Just— BAM!— like lightning."

Of course, as the unsuspecting blond said 'lightning,' a bolt of lightning seared the sky in half momentarily. Leon flinched as the hurricane that had been looming toward them finally got within damage range, then grabbed Fizz and jumped from the ship, so they wouldn't get caught as the humans scurried about, trying to save themselves.

Scuttle flapped against the wind frantically. "Woah! The wind's just picked up all of a sudden!" He let out a distressed squawk as he was blown away. "Leon!"

"Don't worry, Scuttle! We'll be fine!" Leon called over the wind, then couldn't help but shake his head. "Oh my God."

"That's Scuttle for ya." Fizz sighed. "Annoying old bird."

"Oh God, I can't look!" Leon exclaimed when he turned back to see the ship, only to see it crash.

"AH! Leon, Cloud's still on the ship!" Fizz exclaimed, grabbing his ears and pulling on them anxiously. "And he looks unconscious! He's gonna die! HE'S GONNA DIE!"

"Well not if we help him!" Leon answered, swimming toward the wreckage quickly.

"Leon, wait!" Fizz grabbed onto the merman's hair. "What if—"

Both males let out girlish shrieks as the ship suddenly exploded. The explosion sent waves rolling, causing them to go flipping through the water until finally, Leon's face smashed into something. It hurt a lot, but he had to get Fizz back to the surface; Fizz didn't have gills.

As soon as they broke the surface, Fizz started shouting, "Oh my God, he's dead, he's dead, he's DEAD!"

"He may not be!" Leon argued, swimming around anxiously. "He could still be alive!"

"Look! BLOND HO!" Fizz exclaimed, pointing ahead of him.

When he finally saw the blond Fizz was pointing at, he grabbed him and began swimming away from the broken wreckage. "Which way, Fizz? I got turned around when we were sent under."

"This way!" Fizz led the way back toward land. Once reaching the sandy beach, the otter took his leave. "I've got to go. My parents will be worried because I was gone during the storm. Will you be okay?"

Leon nodded, dragging the blond up the sand as well as he could with his fins. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Hurry home, Fizz. You and Yuffie are my only source of entertainment, and Yuffie is going to be mad at me, so I don't want you forbidden from seeing me for a week."

"Will do!" the otter chirped, then swam toward the cove his family lived in.

Leon sighed, then looked back at the blond. He looked… kind of dead. Resting his ear on Cloud's chest, he was reassured the man was alive from a weak but steady heartbeat. He leaned back and brushed some of the blond spikes from the human's face.

"You're really handsome, you know," he stated softly, then smiled. Imagine what Yuffie would say when he told her that he'd touched a human! Even _talked_ to one! "I think we'd be good friends if we met each other. …I'd have to be part of your world, though." His smile faded. "You'd never like life under the sea. You obviously have too much fun above the surface. I wish I could have fun like that."

Leon frowned and traced the wound he'd gotten to his face. "I _cut_ my _face!_ Shit!" He groaned and traced the wound a few more times, sighing sadly. "Damn… Yuffie's going to ask where I got this and I can't even really say! What _could_ I say? 'Oh, I used my face to stop Fizz and me from spinning through the water after we got owned by a wave!' Yeah, if I want her to die from _laughing._"

The brunet sighed in frustration and rested his head on his hands, scowling as he tried to think of a way to explain away the cut on his face to his sister, so the blond's eyes flickering slightly beneath his eyelids went unnoticed. "Of course, she may believe the truth. She's sort of weird like that."

As he was pondering this, Cloud turned his head slightly, interested by the smooth, masculine voice he was hearing. 'What… is this being…? An angel? Am I dead…?' Listening to the voice further, he was convinced that no, this was _not_ an angel. 'Who are you that your voice is so sweet…?'

Leon smiled a little as the human began to open his eyes, tempted to stick around and speak with him. He'd never spoken with a human before. Were they as intelligent as the merfolk? Hearing a bark, however, he turned his head sharply to see Cloud's pet, Nanaki, running toward them. Fearing for his safety, he slid back into the ocean and hid behind a rock to watch what came to pass with the prince.

Cloud got up and looked around, as if searching for something. Nanaki ran up and tackled him back to the sand (Leon had laughed but silenced himself when the blond turned his attention in his direction). Zack and Sephiroth had arrived soon after and helped the blond (now more bruised than he had been before Leon had left him) back to the castle.

Leon sighed, leaning his head against the rock, then closed his eyes. "If only I could talk to him again. I wish _I_ were human…" Remembering Yuffie and how mad she'd be at him, he squeaked and shot back toward his home. "Oh shit!"

-x-x-x-

"Okay, if you want me to believe you— and I'm not saying I do— just let me get this straight. _You_ fell in love with a guy you've only _seen,_ and said guy is a _human_ and you want to be with him," Yuffie stated, staring at her brother indifferently, before sighing and shaking her head as he merely nodded in response. "Well, fine, I believe you. That's too crazy for you to have made up."

"So what do I do?" Leon asked, feeling pathetic. He'd just spilled his guts to the one other mer-person he trusted, and the way she'd regurgitated his story made him feel stupid. "Should I chance trying to see him again?"

"Not with fins!" Yuffie exclaimed, looking appalled. "He'd either reject you or be afraid of you!"

"So what am I supposed to do?" Now he felt lost.

She sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, there _is_ this sea witch. I bet she could make you human. Oh! That reminds me! While I was at the concert, Sebastian asked if you'd sing at the next one! You know? Since you have such a _nice_ voice?" She smiled at him sweetly. "Will you, Leon? Please? For me?"

"…Yuffie…" He sighed. "You know how much I hate singing in front of people. It may be fun for you, and Tifa and Aerith, but the way everyone looks at me, it just… It makes me embarrassed. Okay? Tell Sebastian I'm sorry, but I just can't do it. I wouldn't be able to do it like I used to with Dad."

Yuffie flinched. Ever since their father had died, Leon hadn't been the same. He'd been quiet, moody, and wouldn't sing like he did when their father used to sing with him. It was still as beautiful, but… it was a sad kind of beautiful. The kind of beautiful that you loved, but it made you want to cry.

"Well… We could go see the sea witch. Maybe she'll turn you into a human?" She smiled hopefully. "And then you could go after your handsome prince and make him see how amazing you are and fall in love with you?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "Yuffie, I'm not amazing."

"Yes you are! You can cook, and clean, and sing when you want to, and you can dance— don't think I don't see you dancing around while you're cleaning— and you take care of the people you love! If that doesn't make you amazing, then I don't know what does," she stated, huffing.

"Being handsome and witty does," he answered, crossing his arms. "And with this scar, I'll be lucky to be mildly attractive."

"_M-mildly attractive?!_" Yuffie sputtered, staring at him in disgust. "Try freaking _gorgeous!_ Have you seen yourself lately?!"

Leon paused before shrugging and beginning to leave. "I'm swimming away from you now." He winced as she latched around his neck. "Ow! Yuffie!"

"We need to go see the sea witch and get you your man!" she exclaimed, eyes taking on a determined glint. "Anything to make my brother happy!"

He blushed a little and tried to pry her off. "Yuffie…!" Finally getting her arms from around his neck, he sighed. "He'll never like me, Yuffie. Whatever he sees, it's not going to be what you girls see."

"Oh, poopie! Why the hell not?" Yuffie complained, crossing her arms.

"Yuffie! Look at my face! _Look at my face!_" Leon exclaimed, pointing at his soon-to-be scar. "How could _anyone_ think that's attractive?! And don't say you, Aerith, Tifa, and Demyx! You guys are obligated!"

"I'm obligated to do what?" Demyx asked, tilting his head as he swam toward them.

"Demyx, tell me what you think about the cut on Leon's face. Go ahead, tell the truth," Yuffie ordered, resting her hands on her hips. "Leon doesn't _believe _me when I say he still looks gorgeous."

Demyx frowned and crossed his arms, going into deep thought as Leon fidgeted in agitation. "Hmm…" He swam around the brunet a few times, making sure to take in his face at all different angles. "Hmm…"

"Oh for God's sake, Demyx!" Leon exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "You're not thinking about what which pet you want! You're saying if I look ugly or not!"

Demyx tilted his head, then smiled. "Well, the cut makes you look tougher. Maybe now people will actually listen to you when you threaten bodily harm instead of laughing and trying to molest you."

Leon blushed and covered his face. "Ugh! You guys are so _embarrassing!_"

"So, what did I miss? Sebastian kept me after so I could try some new music on my sitar," the blond stated, looking at Yuffie.

"Leon's in love with a human and wants to be with him. He doesn't think the human will like him when he actually meets him, though." Yuffie sighed and crossed her arms again, frowning. "We need to find someone to heal his face. And it can't be Aerith. If Tifa and Aerith found out what we were planning, they'd never let us go."

"Why not ask Rinoa? She likes Leon, doesn't she?"

"Oh, yeah, I didn't think of that!"

"What if I say no?" Leon asked, tilting his head.

Yuffie shot him one of her dirtiest looks. "Did it _sound_ like I was giving you a choice?"

"…No," he sighed, then let them each grab a hand and lead him away.

-x-x-x-

"I'm _telling_ you, guys, he was _gorgeous!_" Cloud exclaimed, yanking on his hair slightly in frustration as the four people he was trying to talk to.

Zack and Sephiroth frowned and shot each other disbelieving looks before Zack tilted his head. "Cloud, that's all well and good, but we didn't see anyone with you when we found you."

Cloud sighed heavily. "That's because he ran away! I tried to talk to him, but he just swam out to sea and I haven't seen him since!"

"So why are you so hung up on him?" Roxas asked, ever the blunt one. "You haven't seen him since. Get over it."

"Roxas! How could you say that?!" Sora exclaimed, then turned back to his older brother. "I say if you're so in love with him, you're just going to have to find him! Come on! Let's go check the beach right now!" He grabbed Cloud's hand and pulled. "If you're going to find him, that's where we'll find him! I mean, that's how he rescued you, right?"

Cloud paused in thought, then smiled and nodded, getting to his feet. "You're right. Come on, Nanaki! Let's go find my brunet!" Nanaki barked excitedly and followed the prince as he ran for the door.

Sephiroth frowned at Sora and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you encourage him?"

Sora frowned and crossed his arms. "If I hadn't, he wouldn't have shut up. Let's just pray that he _does_ find this guy. He's so head over heels, I'm fighting off puking."

"I just want the stupid kid to get married!" Zack exclaimed angrily, glaring after the blond.

"Don't worry, Zack," Roxas sighed, shaking his head. "He'll get married eventually."

"I WANT HIM MARRIED _NOW!_"

-x-x-x-

Leon sighed sadly, tracing the scar that had been left behind after Rinoa had healed his cut. "Oh, come _on!_ Look at this! It's horrible!"

"I think it looks sexy," Demyx answered, smiling and elbowing him jokingly. "If I didn't have Zexion, I'd _so_ be chasing after you right now."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Since when has Zexion stopped you? You chase my brother around whenever you please."

"It's not my fault your whole family is gorgeous," the blond muttered, scowling.

The mermaid waved it away and grabbed Leon's hands, smiling. "Now, to the sea witch! It's time for Leon to go get his man!"

Leon blushed as they began to drag him away, then quickly slipped their hands and swam away. "Guys! No! He'll never like me!"

"Leon! We're gonna catch up to you sometime!"

"You'll never take me alive!" Leon answered, then yelped as he ran into something while looking over his shoulder at them. He backtracked and rubbed the fast-forming bump on his head. "Ow!" He squinted his eye open to see what had hurt him so much. "Oh! Guys, look! It's Cloud's sword!"

Yuffie and Demyx swam up and tilted their heads. Demyx frowned and tried to lift the sword. "Holy shit! What is he, a giant!?"

"Don't be silly, Demyx! Giants aren't real!" Yuffie laughed, then tried helping him lift the sword. "Ugh! This is _heavy!_"

"Tch, move," Leon ordered, shoving them away. Examining the sword, he grabbed the end and slid it out of the sand gently. "Just gotta use the weight with you instead of against you."

"Shut up and let's go," Demyx answered, grabbing the brunet's upper arms and shoving him in the correct direction. "The sea witch awaits!"

"But— but— Demyx, I really don't think— I— Come on, guys!"

Yuffie, bringing up the rear and dragging the huge sword with her, smiled. "Don't try to stop us, Leon! Don't forget that when Demyx and I team up, we're a force to be reckoned with."

"…I hate you."

Leon sighed as he was led into a dark cave, then frowned. "Creepy much?"

"Leon, she's a sea witch. A _sea witch,_" Yuffie sighed, frowning. "It's supposed to be creepy."

As if answering the mermaid's comment, a cold, shiver-inducing voice asked, "May I help you?"

The three mer-people shivered before Yuffie and Demyx both shoved Leon forward. "Ah! What the hell?!"

"Leon wants to be human!" Yuffie answered, prodding him forward. "So he can go make the guy he's in love with fall in love with him!"

"Leon, hmm?" At this point, a woman with an eel tail instead of a fish tail swam forward. She sighed and looked Leon up and down. "He's not much. And I don't just work my magic for free."

Leon looked back at Yuffie and Demyx and frowned. "We don't have anything to give you. I… doubt that you want the sword we found."

The woman waved it away. "No, I don't take material things as payment. What would Maleficent the Sea Witch need with material objects when she doesn't leave her lair?" she asked, finally introducing herself. "And I'm afraid you've given me no reason to help you with your current situation. Good day."

"Wait!" Leon exclaimed, swimming after her as she retreated further into the cave. "So it's true? You can make me a human?"

"If offered the right price," Maleficent answered, nodding. "However, you haven't offered anything that suits my fancy."

Leon frowned and put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… Well, what do you want? If you tell me, I'll try and give it to you," he offered finally, looking back up at her.

The witch smiled a sickeningly evil smile and nodded. "As you wish. For turning you into a human, I demand your voice."

"But how is he supposed to talk to his soon-to-be lover if he doesn't have a voice?!" Yuffie exclaimed, grip tightening on the sword she was holding.

Maleficent waved it away. "I'm sure he'll find a way. From what I've heard, Leon is an intelligent merman. Now if you two children will shoo while I work my magic, that would be wise."

Leon turned and shrugged, then waved them away. "Go ahead, you two. I'll be fine."

"What about when you have to go back up? Humans can't breathe underwater!" Demyx pointed out anxiously.

"You've caught me in a good mood, children," the witch stated suddenly. "I will call you back after I've cast my spell. That will give you a few minutes to get back to the surface before he loses his ability to breathe underwater."

Both Yuffie and Demyx shared a fearful glance before retreating from the cave. Leon sighed, then swam a little closer to the eel-woman, fidgeting slightly. "Um… About my voice… I—"

"In addition to having your voice, I demand that you come back to the sea at midnight each night you're gone, where I will return your voice. In return, you must sing to the sea— don't worry, I will hear it— until one hour has passed. Once you have secured the love of the man you are pursuing, I will return your voice permanently. Until then, you must sing. Understood?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Leon hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I suppose that's more than fair. I'm eternally grateful to you, Maleficent."

The witch waved it away, beginning to put a few ingredients into a large pot. "I'm in an exceptionally good mood. The hurricane I started last night caused a few accidents; I'm pleased with the results."

Leon flinched. The hurricane that had caused the ship to crash and explode was her doing? …No wonder she was feeling so generous today. He'd better stay on her good side if he wanted to live. He'd be there every night at midnight without fail.

"This shell will store your voice when not in use for my purposes," Maleficent explained, placing a hoop of string over his neck from which a single, baby blue colored shell hung from. "It will only hurt for a moment."

"What wi—" Leon grabbed his throat as he suddenly felt as if it were being ripped apart. Tears left his eyes (not that you could tell in the sea water) from the pain. Once the pain had subsided, he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He bowed his head and sighed in despair.

Next he knew was that it felt as if his fin was being sliced in two. The pain was much greater than from having his voice taken. He cried out silently in pain and hugged himself, shaking with silent sobs as the pain seared through his legs— his legs?

Before he knew it, the air he was breathing was getting wetter and wetter. Demyx and Yuffie were there within seconds, dragging him back out of the cave and up toward the surface. It was getting hard to breathe now. The sky was getting closer— but _oh,_ it hurt to breathe— so close to the surface— that was _not_ air arriving in his lungs—

Leon gasped pitifully as he finally broke the surface. Demyx and Yuffie swam him over to shore quickly. He crawled up to some firmer sand and panted weakly, then groaned and rested his head on the ground.

Yuffie patted his back and rested the sword next to him. "Are you okay, Leon?"

The brunet nodded slowly, then shook his head to get some of the moisture from his hair. Now that he was a human, he felt alarmingly wet. He didn't like it. …He didn't like being naked either.

Demyx seemed to realize this face. "Hmm… We need to cover you in something. Humans wear stuff to cover themselves all the time." He glanced to the side, then brightened a little when he saw a scrap of sail from the explosion the night before. "That should work!" He swam over to it and dragged it back, then wrapped it around Leon's waist. "Here. This should work."

Leon smiled his appreciation as the blond left and returned again with some rope to tie the sail around his waist. He then sighed and spread his legs out in front of him. He tilted his head and wiggled his feet, then curled his toes.

Yuffie began to laugh. "They look so _weird,_ Leon!" He smiled in amusement and wiggled his feet again. She smiled, then frowned a little as a thought hit her. "Hey, shouldn't you practice walking? That's what humans call it, right?"

Leon frowned, then tried to stand. His legs shook violently. He winced as he stood upright, because his legs still kind of hurt, but he stood. He turned his head sharply as he heard a bark, then fell from the violent movement and made a small grunt of annoyance.

Yuffie and Demyx gasped, then slid back into the sea. "Bye, Leon!"

"Good luck!"

Leon watched them leave helplessly, then turned toward the bark again. _Crap._ It was that stupid dog that had almost ratted him out on the ship. He looked around frantically, then grabbed the sword, only to find it a _lot_ heavier than it was underwater. He stood up and used it as balance, just wanting to be taller than the walking, barking shark.

"Nanaki! Nanaki, wait up!" And there came his blond prince charming.

Leon blushed and hid as best he could behind the sword he was leaning on. He closed his eyes tightly as Nanaki got closer and closer. This was going to hurt.

"DOWN, Nanaki! Heel!" The brunet squinted one eye open when he did feel the pain he was expecting, then blushed even more as he found the blond smiling at him. "Hi."

"Ngk!" Leon jerked away from the sword in surprise and fell onto his back.

Cloud tilted his head, leaning against the sword the brunet had once been using as support, then offered him his hand. "Sorry to startle you like that."

Leon looked at the hand being offered to him skeptically, then hesitantly slid his hand into the blond's. Compared to his, it was rough and calloused, from years of swordplay and fist-to-cuffs. As he stood, he looked at his own hands, so smooth and soft. How could this prince ever like him?

"I thought I lost this in the wreck. Did you find it for me?" Cloud asked, pulling his hand from Leon's and gently tucking the brunet's still dripping hair behind his ear.

Leon blushed again and nodded, then looked down at his feet. 'Well, actually, I ran into it, but you don't need to know that.'

The blond tilted his head. "Were you the one that saved me?"

He nodded again. '…Not… that you'd believe me…'

Cloud smiled, eyes lighting up happily. "Really? That's great! Uh, I mean—" The blond blushed a little and rubbed the back of his head. "I've… just been looking for you for a while now, so… I'm kind of excited."

Leon tilted his head and chanced a smile. 'You've been looking for me…?' He winced as a sharp pain shot through his legs and began to fall again.

Cloud grabbed the brunet around the waist and pulled him up against him. "Oh, be careful!" He turned his head and inhaled Leon's scent, then leaned back, smiling playfully. "Can't walk?"

The scowl Leon gave him was answer enough. 'Keep smiling like that and I'll find a way to shove my foot up your ass, walking or not.'

"Sooo…" Cloud frowned a little. "How am I going to do this?" He looked Leon up and down, then shrugged and threw him over his shoulder. "There. Don't struggle, okay? I don't want to drop you."

Leon tilted his head, then scowled a little. 'Okay, now I feel like a fucking pansy. If Yuffie could see me now… I'd never hear the end of it. Oh my _God!_ He's carrying the sword with one hand!'

And indeed he was. Woah. O.o Cloud was stronger than he looked. …And was he _humming?_

Cloud glanced up at the brunet and smiled. Leon shivered slightly. He didn't like that smile. It was sort of like Yuffie and Demyx's 'I'm planning something you're not going to like' smiles. He shuddered as the hand Cloud was using to hold him steady slid down to rest on his butt.

Okay, he may not know much about humans, but give him a break. Leon knew that was going too far, even if he was in love with the guy. This kind of touching was basically off limits universally, to merfolk and humans alike. So he did exactly what he used to do to whenever Seifer tried to get too friendly.

He slapped the son of a bitch.

-x-x-x-

"—And you're to meet with Kairi and Naminé for lunch today, so—"

Leon groaned silently and let his head slip from his hand to hit the surface of the table he was sitting at. Cloud had spent the first few days with him, but then Zack and Sephiroth had whisked the blond away to do all of his princely duties. Sora and Roxas had entertained him as best they could, but they had other things to do as well.

"Bored?" He glanced up to see Zack smiling at him sympathetically. When he nodded, the black-haired man smiled. "Don't worry. He'll get a break soon. Then you two can go do whatever it is you do. Okay?"

Leon smiled and nodded again. He liked Zack. The guy was okay. …Sephiroth… was scary. End of story.

"Why don't you go to bed, okay? Cloud will be up in a while." Zack smiled and patted him on the head, then wandered over to Sephiroth and Zack, who were both very annoyed.

The brunet sighed and wandered up to their room, trying not to flinch as he walked. Don't get him wrong; it was for a totally different reason than it was before. He could walk just fine now— he could even run faster than Cloud! But… Cloud never hesitated to seduce him. He was starting to worry that he might limp permanently.

Of course, Cloud just fucked him senseless. He never said he loved him. _That_ was why Leon still couldn't speak and _that_ was why he was seriously considering begging Maleficent to turn him back into a merman so he wouldn't have to keep having his heart broken every time Cloud smiled seductively at someone else, or whispered in someone else's ear.

It was tearing him apart. Cloud treated him totally different than he treated anyone else. He assumed that yes, it must be different, seeing as he was sharing a bed with the blond, but still… Shouldn't he be treated at least a _little _more affectionately?

Cloud never showed affection unless they were alone. He didn't whisper sweet nothings in his ear. He didn't even smile at him unless he wasn't busy, and that in itself was rare. It was like the blond just wanted a fuck buddy.

Leon couldn't handle that. Turning sharply, he made his way out of the castle and down to the beach, content to just wait out the two hours until he was to sing for the sea witch. He clasped his hands behind his back and began wandering down the beach, sighing sadly.

'At the rate I'm going, I'll never get Cloud to love me. This was stupid. I'm never letting Yuffie and Demyx try to meddle with my love life again. …If they have a chance to try…' He kicked some sand wistfully, then grabbed a rock and threw it into the ocean angrily. "This just caused me more pain than anything!'

"Hey! Are we not friends anymore?! Are you _trying_ bludgeon me with rocks?!"

Leon tilted his head, then looked around frantically, stepping into the water. He knew that voice. 'Fizz!'

As if in answer, the otter swam up to him and tilted his head. "Yuffie told me about what you did. I say good for you, Leon. You're grabbing life by the reigns and going for it!"

That was just too much. Leon sat down heavily and starting crying, body heaving with violent sobs. He made a mental note to never keep himself from crying like this again, because now that he was finally letting it out, it was literally hurting him; he would reflect on this mental note later, when he wasn't leaking salt water out of his eyes.

Fizz swam up to him, alarmed. "Was it something I said? I'm sorry, Leon! I didn't mean to!"

Leon pulled the otter into his arms and hugged him tightly, beginning to rock back and forth. 'Just let me hold you, Fizz! Just let me hold you!'

As if hearing what he'd thought, Fizz stayed silent and just let the brunet teen hug him and rock him. You could say he was used to the occurrence, in a way. Not that it happened often, but Leon _did_ have the tendency to let things build up and up and up and then explode in a burst of tears and wails. Not that he could wail at the moment, but still.

"Leon? Leon, are you okay?"

The brunet looked up and choked a little when he saw the blond he was crying about frowning at him. He jerked his head away and sniffed. 'Could this get _any_ worse?'

"You want me to bite him?" Fizz asked, scowling as the prince approached.

Leon shook his head quickly and set him back down, shooing him into the water. 'Get lost.'

"Fine, fine," the otter muttered, sighing. "But I _will_ hurt him next time."

As the otter disappeared, Cloud walked up to the distressed teen and slid his arms around his waist. "I saw you leaving, and I wondered where you left to at night." He nuzzled the brunet's neck. "And I was hoping—"

Leon winced and shoved him away quickly. 'No! No more meaningless sex! I can't take anymore! If I wanted to be a whore I'd just go to Seifer!'

Cloud frowned and grabbed his wrist, yanking him back. "Hey, what's wrong? Did I do something to make you angry?"

The brunet growled and tried to shove him away again. When he found that the prince wouldn't let him, he slapped him as hard as he could, then took off running, before he could recover. True, he could outrun Cloud, but a good head start didn't hurt.

-x-x-x-

Leon panted weakly and fell to his hands and knees. He hadn't really counted on Cloud pursuing him. Now he was tired, weak, and physically exhausted; he wouldn't be able to travel back to the castle tonight.

Hearing the clock tower chime the midnight hour in the distance, he set up straight, took a deep breath, and started singing. There were no words; any songs he knew were written by Sebastian or songs from painful memories of his parents. He simply sang a melody that conveyed his pain and disappointment, letting it carry out over the ocean to be heard by anyone sympathetic to his current emotional state.

Just as the clock struck one in the morning, he sobbed and covered his face. He should have asked Maleficent to change him back. He shouldn't have sung; he should have begged to be changed back into a merman so he could just go about his miserable life alone.

"Sooo…" The brunet flinched and looked over his shoulder to see Cloud scowling at him. "You really _are_ the man who saved me. So why—" He began walking toward the distraught teen. "—have you been hiding your beautiful, beautiful voice? You could tell me your name, tell me about yourself… Tell me you _love_ me…"

Leon turned his head away and whimpered. 'Only if you say it first. But you never will.'

Cloud sat down beside him and wrapped his arm around the small teen's shoulders. "Because you know how I first fell for you?" When Leon shook his head quickly, he chuckled and leaned his head on his shoulder. "I fell for your voice. Something about it was just so… alluring. And then when I saw you, I fell for your body, your eyes… And then I fell for your smile, and the expression you get when you laugh but can't make a sound… So why won't you sing for me?"

'Because I can't!' Leon felt like bawling, and was even more frustrated that he couldn't. 'I can't sing for you because you won't say you love me! I could make you love me with my voice but I _can't!_ You have to love me first!'

"Do I need to ask you in a special way?" Cloud asked, tilting his head playfully. When he received a nod, he smiled. "Alright… Let me guess then." He frowned in thought, then looked back at him, smile back in place. "Okay. I love you, so sing for me." Leon blushed, then covered his face and sobbed quietly. Cloud frowned again. "Hey, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry. Don't cry. Please?"

Leon turned and hooked his arms around the blond's neck, sobbing pathetically as his voice slowly drained from the shell into his throat. "Why didn't you ever say it _before!?_ I don't _understand!_" He leaned back to look into Cloud's eyes. "I don't understand you! Why won't you say it just because you _can?_ I can't handle just being your sex toy or your music box! I need to be cared for, and if you can't do it, I'll just find someone else!"

"No," Cloud snarled, leaning forward and sinking his teeth into the brunet's shoulder. "_Mine._"

Leon winced, eyes widening. "_Ah!_ Cloud!"

"You will _not_ find someone else because I will not _let_ you find someone else." Cloud leaned back and growled, eyes darkening with… lust? Anger? "And who said you were my sex toy or my music box? You are not. You're my confidante. I can tell you anything and know that you won't repeat it to anyone. And I don't want that to change for _anything._"

The teen bit his bottom lip and looked away, blushing. "…You… never said anything…"

"Neither did you."

Leon opened his mouth to argue that no, he _couldn't_ say anything, then sighed and shook his head, choosing to just shove his head under the blond's chin. "…Except I'm the uke, so you _have_ to say it first."

"I'm glad you told me this _after_ we've had to argue about it."

"Common sense. Seme has to be the brave one and say he loves the other first."

"…Hmm…" Cloud raised an eyebrow, then smiled and dipped his head, giving the teen a quick kiss. "Fine. I don't have to be the first one anymore, do I?"

-x-x-x-

"There's _no_ such things as _mermaids,_" Sephiroth stated, scowling. "I am _not_ discussing this anymore, Leon. If you really believe you were once a mermaid—"

"Mer_man,_" Leon snarled, glaring at him. "I was a mer_man._"

Zack frowned and held his hands up. "Woah, woah, woah! Let's not get into a fight! Okay?"

Cloud sighed and rested his hands on the brunet's shoulders. "Just let it go, Leon. Calm down."

"I'll _prove it,_" Leon stated venomously, then turned and stomped down the beach.

Cloud sighed again, then turned and glared at the silver-haired man that had pissed off his lover. "Look what you did! I _swear,_ Sephiroth, if I didn't need you—"

"Guys?" Zack asked, pulling on their sleeves.

"Well I'll have you know that just because your _bride_ chooses to believe in mermaids _doesn't _mean that I'll just let _you_—"

"Guys?" Zack repeated, tugging harder.

"So it's just my _bride_ now? You used to think he was the best thing since sliced bread—"

"_Guys?!_"

"That was until I found out he was _delusional_—"

"_GUYS!_"

"WHAT?!" they shouted, turning toward the spazzing man.

"He's talking to _merpeople!_" Zack exclaimed, pointing at the ocean.

The two arguing men turned to see that Leon was talking to four people, two of which had black hair, one of which was a brunet like himself, and another which was blond. And it was obvious that, by the way they were laying on the ground and the fish-like tails spread out behind them, that they were indeed, mermaids and a merman.

"…So… should we… go talk to them…?" Cloud asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Zack looked at the two like they were idiots, then exclaimed, "They're _merpeople,_ you morons! Why would give up a chance to talk to _merpeople!_" And with that, the black-haired man was sprinting down to shore to meet Leon's friends.

Sephiroth frowned thoughtfully. "I think the correct term is 'merfolk.'"

"Oh, come on, you annoying bastard," Cloud muttered, latching onto Sephiroth's arm and dragging him toward the others.

Leon sighed as Tifa and Aerith fussed over him, letting them pull him into the water and hug him and kiss him. "Girls, I'm fine. Really. Would you stop being so fussy? What are you doing? What are you _doing?!_" He let out a feminine shriek as both girls yanked his shirt aside to see the numerous hickies Cloud had left, then let out a childish whine. "Tifa, Aerith!"

"Aw, our little Leon's is growing up!" Tifa exclaimed, pinching his cheek.

Aerith smiled and clapped her hands together. "I'm so happy for you, Leon!"

"You guys are so _embarrassing!_" Leon blushed and squeaked as Yuffie suddenly ripped his shirt over his head. "What the _hell!?_"

"Souvenir!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I've never had anything that was human before!"

"Little _thief!_" Leon snarled, glaring at her.

Demyx frowned and examined Leon's now exposed torso. "Damn. It's like you're a chew toy or something, Leon."

"He's _my_ chew toy," Cloud answered, dragging the brunet teen out of the water and into his arms. "Hmm… My sexy chew toy…" He leaned down and nibbled on his shoulder lovingly.

Leon rolled his eyes and growled, then elbowed him in the stomach. "What did I say about doing that in public?!"

"Not to," Cloud stated mechanically, grabbing the offending arm. "Now shut up and hold still while I disobey you."

Tifa smiled and tilted her head a little. "Aw, that's _just_ the type of man I want my brother with! Leon _needs_ someone to boss him around!"

"No— No, Cloud, put me— Ah— What're you— AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Leon turned and slapped the blond quickly, scowling. "You do _not_ get to grab my _ass,_ you jerk!"

"Alright, children, time out," Zack ordered, yanking the two away from each other.

"Watch out for Leon's right hook!" Yuffie warned cheerfully, then giggled.

Demyx grinned. "And duck when he tries to kick you in the face! He's very flexible!"

Leon gasped softly as Cloud smirked and turned his lustful gaze on him. "Demyx! Why would you tell him that?!"

"Because I'm your little sister's best friend and my purpose in life is to help her make your life miserable!" the blond merman stated, shrugging.

"…Leave the boy alone, Cloud," Sephiroth warned, seeing that Leon was now terrified of going to bed with the prince that night. "It's bad enough seeing him limp to the bathroom in the morning. I don't need to see you carrying him because you've fucked him so hard."

The four merfolk looked at each other, surprised, then began to giggle to themselves, as if there was some joke going on between them.

Leon scowled. "What's so funny?!"

"It's just that—" Tifa began, chuckling, "—we just somehow _knew_ you were going to be on bottom!"

"Let's stop talking about this!" he groaned, covering his face. "This is embarrassing!"

"Alright, alright," Aerith sighed, then looked up at Cloud and smiled. "So, is he a screamer?"

Leon looked betrayed. "_Aerith!_"

"What? I was just wondering if you're as vocal in bed as you are when you're complaining or whining," she stated innocently.

The teen blushed furiously, then growled and stomped away. "Good_bye!_"

"…In answer to your question, yes, he's _very_ vocal," Cloud stated, smiling.

"I'm tired of hearing about your sex life!" Sephiroth snapped, slapping the prince in the back of the head. "Change the subject!"

-x-x-x-

"So you're still not talking to me?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow.

Leon crossed his arms and turned his back to the blond, huffing. "Jerk."

The prince groaned and slid into the bed. "Sweetie, they're the ones that _asked!_ It would be impolite to not answer them!"

"…Whatever."

Cloud frowned. The teen only replied with 'whatever' when he was _really_ upset. "Leon? Baby, what's wrong?"

"You just talk about our sex life like it's everyone's business. …It's… it's so embarrassing, I…" Leon blushed and covered his head with his pillow. "I don't want everyone to know what a whore I am!"

The blond blinked at him, letting the statement sink in, before scowling. "You think you're a whore because we have sex on a regular basis? Leon, babe, that's stupid."

"We're not married, we've been sleeping together since you brought me back, and you've never let me go a night without fucking me. I. Am a whore."

Cloud rolled his eyes and pulled the pillow from his lover's hands. "You are not. If it's so embarrassing for you, I won't say anything. …Well, I'll brag that I got laid by a gorgeous brunet, but I won't give any of the details out anymore. Okay?"

Leon sighed loudly and crossed his arms, scowling. "What _is_ it with you people and saying I'm gorgeous? Have you seen my face lately?"

"What else would I be talking about, babe?" the blond murmured, smirking, before rolling on top of the teen. "You're my fiancée, and as such I can't lie to you. So I must not be lying when I say you're gorgeous. Are you going to argue your point further, or have I convinced you?"

The brunet scowled and looked away. "…Well, when I come up with a decent argument to that, I'll tell you."

Cloud smiled. "Great! Now let's have sex!"

Leon looked back up at him quickly. "Cloud, wait! _Wait!_"

"For _what?_" he whined, frowning. "Now that you can speak, I just want to hear you moan and scream. That's all, please?"

The brunet sighed, then jerked his head away again, scowl back in place. "Fine. Just one round though! Sora and Roxas are going to show me around town tomorrow and I _don't_ want to limp that badly."

Cloud grinned. "Oh, I can do one round. That doesn't mean you won't be limping badly."

_That_ was enough to scare poor Leon out of his wits. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, _WAIT!_"


End file.
